Top 5 priorities when buying led high bays

Buying led high bays is different from buying normal incandescent high bays. Usually you would choose according to WATT levels of the high bays, and the norm would be 400w for industrial purposes but with leds there are many other factors that needs to be optimised. Below is a list of the 5 most important factors to optimise:

1) Lux levels (brightness) required for your premises. Normal industrial premises like warehouses will do with light levels of around 200 lux, whereas workshops with detailed work and Cash & Carry shops with customers will require stronger light levels between 300 and 600 lux. Based on the required lux levels your lighting advisor can produce a 3D Dialux modelling of your premises and simulate how strong high bays you will need to reach these lux levels. You can read more about lux levels here

2) Lumen output, is the amount of light produced per m2 and is calculated as WATT x LM/WATT. Cheap led lights will emit 100Lm/w and consequently a 150w high bay provide 15,000 lumen (150w x 100lm/w). High quality high bays like PS-UFO-MAX will emit 21,000 lumen (150w x 140lm/w), which will result 40% more brightness for the same energy cost.

3) Color (kelvin) of your led light. Led lights are produced in different colors with the most used being 3000 kelvin, 4000 kelvin and 5000 kelvin. 5000 kelvin is also called Daylight and gives a very white light which simulates the light color you will get from the sun in the middle of the day. Most newer industrial light is produced in 5000 kelvin. 3000 kelvin is a more yellow color and is used to create a certain ambiance in the premises and is often used in coffee shops.

4) Beam angle indicates the direction of the light from the fitting. A fitting can either have a narrow beam angle which directs a lot of light in a narrow beam and thereby reach further (like a laser pen), or it can have a wide beam angle and direct the same amount of light in all direction (like flood lights), but delivering low lux levels all over. For led lights the beam angles are changed by using different reflectors or adding different lenses on top.

5) Driver brand is the most important determent of the life expectancy of the led fitting. a poor driver will last 2 years, whereas a high quality driver from companies like Meanwell (Taiwan) or Phillips (EU) have 5 years warranty and can last upto 10 years. Read more about driver choice here

Let us provide you with a free analysis of what led lights can bring your company. Get it here